There is considerable interest in developing systems that create an augmented reality for a user. In one example of such a system, the user would be provided with a head mounted device that includes a window for viewing the outside world. The window would have the capability to generate image information and project that image information into the eyes of the user. In such a system, images of an imaginary object could be generated and added to the real world scene.
A description of a device for creating an augmented reality can be found in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0016777, published Jan. 15, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
As described in the latter publication and illustrated in in FIG. 1 herein, the optical system 100 can include a primary waveguide apparatus 102 that includes a planar waveguide 1. The planar waveguide is provided with one or more diffractive optical elements (DOEs) 2 for controlling the total internal reflection of the light within the planar waveguide. The optical system further includes an optical coupler system 104 and a control system 106.
As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the primary planar waveguide 1 has a first end 108a and a second end 108b, the second end 108b opposed to the first end 108a along a length 110 of the primary planar waveguide 1. The primary planar waveguide 1 has a first face 112a and a second face 112b, at least the first and the second faces 112a, 112b (collectively, 112) forming a partially internally reflective optical path (illustrated by arrow 114a and broken line arrow 114b, collectively, 114) along at least a portion of the length 110 of the primary planar waveguide 1. The primary planar waveguide 1 may take a variety of forms which provide for substantially total internal reflection (TIR) for light striking the faces 112 at less than a defined critical angle. The planar waveguides 1 may, for example, take the form of a pane or plane of glass, fused silica, acrylic, or polycarbonate.
The DOE 2 (illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 by dash-dot double line) may take a large variety of forms which interrupt the TIR optical path 114, providing a plurality of optical paths (illustrated by arrows 116a and broken line arrows 116b, collectively, 116) between an interior 118 and an exterior 120 of the planar waveguide 1 extending along at least a portion of the length 110 of the planar waveguide 1. The DOE 2 may advantageously combine the phase functions of a linear diffraction grating with that of a circular or radial symmetric zone plate, allowing positioning of apparent objects and a focus plane for apparent objects. The DOE may be formed on the surface of the waveguide or in the interior thereof.
With reference to FIG. 1, the optical coupler subsystem 104 optically couples light to the waveguide apparatus 102. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the optical coupler subsystem may include an optical element 5, for instance a reflective surface, mirror, dichroic mirror or prism to optically couple light into an edge 122 of the primary planar waveguide 1. The light can also be coupled into the waveguide apparatus through either the front or back faces 112. The optical coupler subsystem 104 may additionally or alternatively include a collimation element 6 that collimates light.
The control subsystem 106 includes one or more light sources and drive electronics that generate image data that is encoded in the form of light that is spatially and/or temporally varying. As noted above, a collimation element 6 may collimate the light, and the collimated light is optically coupled into one or more primary planar waveguides 1 (only one primary waveguide is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2).
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the light propagates along the primary planar waveguide with at least some reflections or “bounces” resulting from the TIR propagation. It is noted that some implementations may employ one or more reflectors in the internal optical path, for instance thin-films, dielectric coatings, metalized coatings, etc., which may facilitate reflection. Light that propagates along the length 110 of the waveguide 1 intersects with the DOE 2 at various positions along the length 110. The DOE 2 may be incorporated within the primary planar waveguide 1 or abutting or adjacent one or more of the faces 112 of the primary planar waveguide 1. The DOE 2 accomplishes at least two functions. The DOE 2 shifts an angle of the light, causing a portion of the light to escape TIR, and emerge from the interior 118 to the exterior 120 via one or more faces 112 of the primary planar waveguide 1. The DOE 2 can also be configured to direct the out-coupled light rays to control the virtual location of an object at the desired apparent viewing distance. Thus, someone looking through a face 112a of the primary planar waveguide 1 can see digital imagery at one or more viewing distances.
In some implementations, a scanning light display is used to couple light into one or more primary planar waveguides. The scanning light display can comprise a single light source that forms a single beam that is scanned over time to form an image. This scanned beam of light may be intensity-modulated to form pixels of different brightness levels. Alternatively, multiple light sources may be used to generate multiple beams of light, which are scanned either with a shared scanning element or with separate scanning elements to form imagery. These light sources may comprise different wavelengths, visible and/or non-visible, they may comprise different geometric points of origin (X, Y, or Z), they may enter the scanner(s) at different angles of incidence, and may create light that corresponds to different portions of one or more images (flat or volumetric, moving or static).
The light may, for example, be scanned to form an image with a vibrating optical fiber, for example as discussed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/915,530, International Patent Application Serial No. PCT/US2013/045267, and U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/658,355. The optical fiber may be scanned biaxially by a piezoelectric actuator. Alternatively, the optical fiber may be scanned uniaxially or triaxially. As a further alternative, one or more optical components (e.g., rotating polygonal reflector or mirror, oscillating reflector or mirror) may be employed to scan an output of the optical fiber.
In other embodiments, the image can be generated using a LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) mirrors formed in an array.
FIG. 3 shows an optical system 300 including a waveguide apparatus, an optical coupler subsystem to optically couple light to or from the waveguide apparatus, and a control subsystem, according to one illustrated embodiment.
Many of the structures of the optical system 300 of FIG. 3 are similar or even identical to those of the optical system 100 of FIG. 1. In the interest of conciseness, in many instances only significant differences are discussed below.
The optical system 300 may employ a distribution waveguide apparatus to relay light along a first axis (vertical or Y-axis in view of FIG. 3), and expand the light's effective exit pupil along the first axis (e.g., Y-axis). The distribution waveguide apparatus may, for example include a distribution planar waveguide 3 and at least one DOE 4 (illustrated by double dash-dot line) associated with the distribution planar waveguide 3. The distribution planar waveguide 3 may be similar or identical in at least some respects to the primary planar waveguide 1, having a different orientation therefrom. Likewise, the DOE 4 may be similar or identical in at least some respects to the DOE 2. For example, the distribution planar waveguide 3 and/or DOE 4 may be comprised of the same materials as the primary planar waveguide 1 and/or DOE 2, respectively.
The relayed and exit pupil expanded light is optically coupled from the distribution waveguide apparatus into one or more primary planar waveguide 1. The primary planar waveguide 1 relays light along a second axis, preferably orthogonal to first axis, (e.g., horizontal or X-axis in view of FIG. 3). Notably, the second axis can be a non-orthogonal axis to the first axis. The primary planar waveguide 1 expands the light's effective exit pupil along that second axis (e.g., X-axis). For example, a distribution planar waveguide 3 can relay and expand light along the vertical or Y-axis, and pass that light to the primary planar waveguide 1 which relays and expands light along the horizontal or X-axis. The remainder of the elements of system 300 shown in FIG. 3 will be discussed below with respect to FIG. 4.
FIG. 4 shows the optical system 300, illustrating generation thereby of a single focus plane that is capable of being positioned closer than optical infinity.
The optical system 300 may include one or more sources of red, green, and blue light 11, which may be optically coupled into a proximal end of a single mode optical fiber 9. A distal end of the optical fiber 9 may be threaded or received through a hollow tube 8 of piezoelectric material. The distal end protrudes from the tube 8 as fixed-free flexible cantilever 7. The piezoelectric tube 8 is associated with four quadrant electrodes (not illustrated). The electrodes may, for example, be plated on the outside, outer surface or outer periphery or diameter of the tube 8. A core electrode (not illustrated) is also located in a core, center, inner periphery or inner diameter of the tube 8.
Drive electronics 12, for example electrically coupled via wires 10, drive opposing pairs of electrodes to bend the piezoelectric tube 8 in two axes independently. The protruding distal tip of the optical fiber 7 has mechanical modes of resonance. The frequencies of resonance depend upon a diameter, length, and material properties of the optical fiber 7. By vibrating the piezoelectric tube 8 near a first mode of mechanical resonance of the fiber cantilever 7, the fiber cantilever 7 is caused to vibrate, and can sweep through large deflections. By stimulating resonant vibration in two axes, the tip of the fiber cantilever 7 is scanned biaxially in an area filling 2D scan. By modulating an intensity of light source(s) 11 in synchrony with the scan of the fiber cantilever 7, light emerging from the fiber cantilever 7 forms an image.
Collimator 6 collimates the light emerging from the scanning fiber cantilever 7. The collimated light may be reflected by mirrored surface 5 into a narrow distribution planar waveguide 3 which contains at least one diffractive optical element (DOE) 4. The collimated light propagates vertically (i.e., relative to view of FIG. 4) along the distribution planar waveguide 3 by total internal reflection, and in doing so repeatedly intersects with the DOE 4. The DOE 4 preferably has a low diffraction efficiency. This causes a fraction (e.g., 10%) of the light to be diffracted toward an edge of the larger primary planar waveguide 1 at each point of intersection with the DOE 4, and a fraction of the light to continue on its original trajectory down the length of the distribution planar waveguide 3 via TIR. At each point of intersection with the DOE 4, additional light is diffracted toward the entrance of the primary waveguide 1. By dividing the incoming light into multiple outcoupled sets, the exit pupil of the light is expanded vertically by the DOE 4 in the distribution planar waveguide 3. This vertically expanded light coupled out of distribution planar waveguide 3 enters the edge of the primary planar waveguide 1.
Light entering primary waveguide 1 propagates horizontally (i.e., relative to view of FIG. 4) along the primary waveguide 1 via TIR. As the light intersects with DOE 2 at multiple points as it propagates horizontally along at least a portion of the length of the primary waveguide 1 via TIR. The DOE 2 may advantageously be designed or configured to have a phase profile that is a summation of a linear diffraction grating and a radially symmetric diffractive lens. The DOE 2 may advantageously have a low diffraction efficiency. At each point of intersection between the propagating light and the DOE 2, a fraction of the light is diffracted toward the adjacent face of the primary waveguide 1 allowing the light to escape the TIR, and emerge from the face of the primary waveguide 1. The radially symmetric lens aspect of the DOE 2 additionally steers the beam at an angle that matches the designed focus level. FIG. 4 illustrates four beams 18, 19, 20, 21 extending geometrically to a focus point 13, and each beam is advantageously imparted with a convex wavefront profile with a center of radius at focus point 13 to produce an image or virtual object at a given focal plane.
FIG. 5 shows the optical system 300 illustrating generation thereby of a multi-focal volumetric display, image or light field. As in FIG. 4, a first set of four beams 18, 19, 20, 21 extends geometrically to a focus point 13, and each beam 18, 19, 20, 21 is advantageously imparted with a convex wavefront profile with a center of radius at focus point 13 to produce another portion of the image or virtual object at a respective focal plane to be viewed by the eye 22. FIG. 5 further illustrates a second set of four beams 24, 25, 26, 27 extending geometrically to a focus point 23, and each beam 24, 25, 26, 27 is advantageously imparted with a convex wavefront profile with a center of radius at focus point 23 to produce another portion of the image or virtual object 22 at a respective focal plane.
FIG. 6 shows an optical system 600 according to one illustrated embodiment. The optical system 600 is similar in some respects to the optical systems 100 and 300. In the interest of conciseness, only some of the differences are discussed.
The optical system 600 includes a waveguide apparatus 102, which as described above may comprise one or more primary planar waveguides 1 and associated DOE(s) 2 (not illustrated in FIG. 6). In contrast to the optical system 300 of FIGS. 3 to 5, the optical system 600 employs a plurality of microdisplays or projectors 602a-602e (only five shown, collectively, 602) to provide respective image data to the primary planar waveguide(s) 1. The microdisplays or projectors 602 can be arrayed or arranged along a face or along an edge 122 of the primary planar waveguide 1. There may, for example, be a one to one (1:1) ratio or correlation between the number of planar waveguides 1 and the number of microdisplays or projectors 602. The microdisplays or projectors 602 may take any of a variety of forms capable of providing images to the primary planar waveguide 1. For example, the microdisplays or projectors 602 may take the form of light scanners or other display elements, for instance the cantilevered fiber 7 previously described or a LCOS mirror set. The optical system 600 may additionally or alternatively include a collimation element 6 that collimates light provided from microdisplay or projectors 602 prior to entering the primary planar waveguide(s) 1.
The optical system 600 can enable the use of a single primary planar waveguide 1, rather than using two or more primary planar waveguides 1 (e.g., arranged in a stacked configuration along the Z-axis of FIG. 6). The multiple microdisplays or projectors 602 can be disposed, for example, in a linear array along the edge 122 of a primary planar waveguide that is closest to a temple of a viewer's head. Each microdisplay or projector 602 injects modulated light encoding sub-image data into the primary planar waveguide 1 from a different respective position, thus generating different pathways of light. These different pathways can cause the light to be coupled out of the primary planar waveguide 1 by a multiplicity of DOEs 2 at different angles, focus levels, and/or yielding different fill patterns at the exit pupil. Different fill patterns at the exit pupil can be beneficially used to create a light field display. Each layer in the stack or in a set of layers (e.g., 3 layers) in the stack may be employed to generate a respective color (e.g., red, blue, green). Thus, for example, a first set of three adjacent layers may be employed to respectively produce red, blue and green light at a first focal depth. A second set of three adjacent layers may be employed to respectively produce red, blue and green light at a second focal depth.